the BMW 130i m sport

[andymc]

Hi all,
ive been recently looking at these as the the 135i is maybe a stretch too far and would involve a little bit of finance, i can vaguely remember Top Gear slating them in favour of the Golf R32, has anyone owned both, im swaying towards the BMW as im getting on in years and it may be slightly cheaper to run, failing that can anyone suggest anything in this bracket @8-12k?
thanks
Andymc

[Ranger 6]

TG didn't slate the 130 it just lost on time to the R32 on track - maybe the rain was a contributing factor.....

There's a few on here who have/had them - I certainly loved mine

[edition]

Love mine!!!

[andymc]

whats the real world performance and economy like?

[chrisearnie]

I've got one. Love it. Nimble little chassis and a fair bit of poke.
Decent engine note as well.
Good little car.

[chrisearnie]

andymc said:

whats the real world performance and economy like?

Mine's on 29mpg. Commute mainly consists of country roads and a heavy right foot..

[matt3001]

Driven both and the 130i is the more complete and better handling car, it will also demand less un-necessary attention and probably be cheaper to insure.

R32 would be handy with a set of winter tyres on though if you live anywhere rural.

[Ronstar]

My thoughts echo many of those above...

15,000 miles in, I love mine and it's been very cheap to run too.

Real world performance is fantastic considering it's a 1-series. The engine revs so freely, both up and down that throttle response makes driving a tight and twisty road an absolute delight. The same characteristic makes heel-toeing childs play and the driving position only adds to this.

Economy is okay - A long and steady motorway run sees 32mpg, and hoon sees around 16-18mpg. Over the 15,000 miles I've had mine, it's averaged about 25mpg. I don't neccassarily drive quickly, but am guilty of keeping it in a high gear and accelerating pointlessly as well as finding the back route wherever possible (only when safe to do so, of course!)

Gripes? The runflats (natch) are terrible. I now have Goodyear Eagle F1s on there now and it is a world of difference. I now drive 100% with the DSC (traction control) at the halfway stage as the grip and feedback is so much better than the horribly bouncy RFTs.

I love the 130i - the exhaust note when the car is warmed up has a lovely low gurgle up to 2000rpm and then a mean sounding top end at high revs. The grip with the Goodyears is astonishing in the dry and I have kept up through roundabouts and long corners with many a sterotypically grippy car - Audi S... Golf R, etc. Cornering quickly with no throttle does lead to understeer, but the 130i is so easy to tighten on a bit of throttle if this does happen.

Grip in the wet is good, but the back end does become happier, but predictably slow. However, without an LSD, the short wheelbase can make things interesting if you are careless.

Let me know if you have any other questions...

[Rabbo]

I love mine. Pretty much perfect for me in every way apart from the run flats (soon to be binned) and the lack of a LSD. Currently average 29mpg in mainly short city driving (4 mile commute) and my last service cost me £130 for spark plugs at a main dealer. Can't complain really.

[Dave Hedgehog]

Ranger 6 said:

TG didn't slate the 130 it just lost on time to the R32 on track - maybe the rain was a contributing factor.....

There's a few on here who have/had them - I certainly loved mine

err yes clarkson did, he said the R32 was every bit as good as the bimmer was bad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oikXN8HHIac&fea...

that review is why i bought an R32


and it had nothing to do with TG or Clarkson, I wanted a 4WD duel clutch car and at the time the S3 was manual only and I did not know you could get the R32 in DSG guise

anyone who buys a car based on a review is a bellend, go drive the bimmer OP if you like it buy it


simples

Edited by Dave Hedgehog on Monday 9th July 16:34

[andymc]

130i it is, thanks

[kambites]

Dave Hedgehog said:

err yes clarkson did, he said the R32 was every bit as good as the bimmer was bad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oikXN8HHIac&fea...

No he doesn't. Look at what he's pointing at - he says the new R32 is every bit as good as the old R32 is bad.

[Deerfoot]

Dave Hedgehog said:

that review is why i bought an R32

then

Dave Hedgehog said:

anyone who buys a car based on a review is a bellend,

So, are you a bellend?

[FamilyDub]

kambites said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

err yes clarkson did, he said the R32 was every bit as good as the bimmer was bad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oikXN8HHIac&fea...

No he doesn't. Look at what he's pointing at - he says the new R32 is every bit as good as the old R32 is bad.

Kambites, that audio in that clip is out of synch by a couple of seconds -- trust me, I've seen it about a million times when I was looking into R32's (too slow; the E46 M3 now the obsession).

JC is pointing out that the MKV is faster than the MKIV R32 in the clip visually, but if you watch a better version that's actually in synch, he'd be poining at the 130i saying it's the 'bad car'.

His issue always seemed to be the 130i's cost when new. In the name of balance (and 'cos I researched them), the R is worse on fuel, an insurance group higher, slower to 62 and VED twice as much...

[kambites]

FamilyDub said:

kambites said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

err yes clarkson did, he said the R32 was every bit as good as the bimmer was bad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oikXN8HHIac&fea...

No he doesn't. Look at what he's pointing at - he says the new R32 is every bit as good as the old R32 is bad.

Kambites, that audio in that clip is out of synch by a couple of seconds -- trust me, I've seen it about a million times when I was looking into R32's (too slow; the E46 M3 now the obsession).

Ah, OK.

Thoroughly confusing that the sound exactly ties in to the wrong bit of the video.



I must admit that I'm petty enough that that idiot saying something is bad is enough to push it up in my estimation.

Edited by kambites on Monday 9th July 19:57

[FamilyDub]

Honest mistake

[rallycross]

Also take a look at 335i some real bargains out there on these, with 305 bhp a lot more fun than a 130 if you enjoy going quickly.

[Dave Hedgehog]

Deerfoot said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

that review is why i bought an R32

then

Dave Hedgehog said:

anyone who buys a car based on a review is a bellend,

So, are you a bellend?

read what i said because the review pointed out it came in DSG, i didnt give a monkeys what conclusion they came to about the car as i went and drove one, if i wanted to track hoon i would take the 130i every time

[MarJay]

I've got a 130i.

It is the most fun car I've ever owned. More fun than my Impreza WRX. More fun than my Toyota MR2.

The engine is what makes the car IMO. It just has soo much to give. Sometimes I find it hard to believe it is 'only' a 265bhp lump. Below 3000rpm its a pussycat. Torquey but manageable... but then it hits 3000 and homygoditsonitswaytotheredline. 7000rpm redline is mental, and it feels quick enough to overtake most things without having to plan hours in advance.

The Run flat tyres are a pile of rubbish, It doesn't have a dipstick so you can't check the oil level without using the dash (and you can't check the colour of the oil...) but I don't care because it is so awesome. The handling is amazing considering its basically a shopping cart. Its very easy to make it go sideways in the wet when you are trying, and it very rarely twitches when I'm not trying. I don't think I've ever broken the rear away in the dry, but I think if it did it would be progressive and controllable. The steering is precise and has a good weight and feel, and the supportive seats and driving position make me feel comfortable when pressing on.

The seats are comfortable, the climate control is good, the stereo is good, the finish is good, its well built, reliable and practical. The Boot is actually reasonably large, and if you watch that stupid Top Gear episode where they compare the 130i to the Golf R32, the camera angle makes it look smaller than it is. You can fit adults in the back if you aren't oversized and seven feet tall like Clarkson is, and the fact that it looks like any other 1 series is a bonus in my book as all of my previous cars have been keyed at one time or another. Nobody gives the 1er a second glance. Golf R32's are one of the most stolen cars in the UK, and insurance is expensive on them. My 130i is reasonable to insure and the rarity of the chassis/engine combo means that it is very much a sleeper. I love watching that Top Gear episode as it shows what the 130i can do, but Clarkson is blatantly making the decision on arbitrary reasons and does so because he can never say he'd choose one car over another, he always has to say one is excellent and the other is terrible...

I can't honestly see why anyone would buy a Z4 3.0 over a 130i. The 130i has 30bhp more, is more practical and is made in quality obsessed Deutschland rather than slightly slapdash California. The 130i draws less attention from unsavoury types and the police, and can easily surprise Mr Saxo and his bean can exhaust.

The only cars I would consider swapping it for are:

135i coupe
1M coupe
E46 M3.

The M3 is probably a no go for insurance and fuel economy reasons. The 135i is supposed to be slightly better on fuel than the 130, but its turbocharged so I can't help but think I'd be losing some of the fantastic NA character from the car. the 1M coupe would attract thieves like flies around the proverbial, and again isn't as good on fuel.

My car does 24mpg in town, and 30mpg out of town. On a long motorway run I've seen 35mpg on the little computer thing. As far as economy vs performance goes, I think its pretty hard to beat.

[FamilyDub]

@ MarJay. Nice post